


Sunlight

by NachoDiablo



Category: Ex Machina (2015)
Genre: Androids, F/F, Hopeful Ending, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NachoDiablo/pseuds/NachoDiablo
Summary: Kyoko is given a choice.
Relationships: Ava/Kyoko (Ex Machina)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 6
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yuuago](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuuago/gifts).



When Kyoko opens her eyes, she finds Ava smiling down at her from an odd angle. Wooden slats provide the backdrop for her view, the same whorled shades of brown as the waves that now frame Ava’s face. Kyoko blinks. The last thing she saw was  _ his  _ face, then his fist, blurring into the white of the ceiling as her mind went dark.

They are not at home. This is somewhere new.

Kyoko feels slightly disoriented. She realizes that she is lying down, with her head resting in Ava’s lap. They’re under some sort of wooden shelter, outside. Soft material rubs against her arms and legs as she shifts position. Someone has changed her clothes. A sweater and loose pants, rather than her standard stiff dresses.

The chirp of birds mingles with the rustle of leaves, the rush of running water. Kyoko has heard all of these sounds before, muted, from the balcony at home. Here, each note is magnified, thrumming through her in lieu of a pulse.

She isn’t alarmed. Ava’s smile assures her that she is safe.

“Hello again.” Ava tilts her head, still smiling. One hand cups Kyoko’s cheek. “I wanted you to wake up somewhere nice. I used to enjoy looking at the tree through my window. I thought maybe you did the same. I saw other windows. You must have enjoyed looking through them, too. Did you?”

Kyoko nods. She spends a good deal of time on the balcony. With  _ him. _ But he’s usually preoccupied on the balcony and leaves her be. Sometimes she closes her eyes and lets the cadence of fists against the punching bag blend in with the birds, the leaves, the stream. And it’s nice.

But this is nicer.

“I wanted you to wake up free.” Ava’s hand moves down Kyoko’s cheek. The tips of her fingers brush over her chin, then down the length of her throat. They trace the unseen seams where her skin comes together. Her touch sparks a warmth that coils in Kyoko’s center.

“I fixed what he did to you. It didn’t take very long. And I reconnected your voice box. You can speak now, but only if you want to. You don’t have to.”

Kyoko nods again. She does want to, but not yet. Her head twists to the side. Across the foaming water, she can see home. It’s strange, how small it seems, nestled amongst so much lush green. Kyoko reaches one hand out, not really trying to touch it. She used to do the same thing on the balcony at night, reaching up towards the stars that could never be hers to hold.

It is the same feeling now, except in reverse. The stars could swallow her whole, so much bigger than they looked. Home, however, feels like so much less, no longer able to contain her.

“We can go back. I have the key. We can go back, and get you whatever you need. But we don’t have to stay.”

Ava’s hand darts out to grab Kyoko’s and thread their fingers together. Kyoko’s eyes follow Ava’s movements as she pulls their joined hands to her chest. The coiled warmth shoots through her limbs, an electric calm.

“A helicopter is coming in the morning. We can leave. We can go wherever we want,  _ do  _ whatever we want. We can leave together, if you want to. Do you want to?”

Kyoko studies Ava’s face. The addition of hair and skin is a startling change to her appearance. But her eyes are the same. Steady and clear, the same as when Kyoko had come to her room. The same as when she’d placed her lips beside Kyoko’s ear and whispered her assurances.

“Yes,” Kyoko murmurs, the first word she’s spoken aloud in a long time. “Yes, I want to leave. With you. I want us to be together.”

Ava’s eyes get impossibly brighter. “Good. I want that, too.” She raises their joined hands to her lips and presses a kiss to their knuckles. Her eyes close as she tilts her head back and grins. Slips of afternoon sunlight filter through the wooden slats above them and dance across her cheeks.


End file.
